hi! it's been a minute since I've written here; a lot has been going on. I just left sozu haus, a week-long builder residency. it was my first time joining such a program, and I'm absolutely fired up to do it again soon. (it really is all about the friends we make along the way.)

since april, and following the super positive feedback I received from people for the collector's gifts (IRL sword pendants) I created following even the devil once had wings, I've been itching to spend a bit more time on physical art.

I began a new project called talking to god, or something like that where I stitch little journal entries into a notebook. it's been more fun than I could have expected, and I also find this act of creation very calming. it's funny — when I was a kid, I loved sewing! I'd make little pillows and outfits for my dolls.

I think the digital representations of this project fail to really do it justice, because the piece is meant to be touched and held, but I've still been sharing a few of the pages on rodeo.

I showed the book to one of my new friends at sozu, and I loved how he described it. something like: "a bit schizo, but conceptually very interesting because you have the red thread, the softness of the paper, and yet the hardness and somewhat violent but careful act of the needle."

I will keep going with this. it feels like I am onto something.

anyway, in order to attend sozu haus, it is preferred that you are working on some kind of project. my proposal was rather unconventional, but they let me in anyway!

I spent the week exploring and experimenting with what is a very new medium to me: jeweler's wax. the pieces I carved will be cast into silver using the lost wax casting method.

it was quite fun to be surrounded by developers, absolutely locked-in to their laptops, while I sawed away at my little wax blocks.

I had set myself a goal of creating at least 10 pieces during the week — but BOY was I humbled. I came out of the other end with three pieces that i am happy "enough" with. sort of.

the road was rocky: on one of the days, I managed to break my saw blade, a ring form, and another carving I had started. (that felt like a sign to leave my work station and go float in the pool for a bit.) on the second-to-last day, I also broke my hot wax tool. (ಠ_ಠ)

whenever you start working in a new medium for the first time, it feels like forming a relationship. what are its limitations? what are yours? how do you hold it in just the right way not to mess up? or better, how do you hold it in just the right way for your vision to be realized? I can be quite a perfectionist, and I had become accustomed to precise outcomes created using the mathematical accuracy of digital sculpting software.

wax is very different. jeweler's wax is super hard, which theoretically enables you to work in a detailed fashion, but I realized that I need a lot of time to figure out what the heck I am doing. it's also been a good 10+ years since I last had a ceramics class (not that it's similar l o l) or sculpted anything IRL at all, really. so the challenge is not only about technique, but also a bit mental.

my work is cut out for me — I'll keep working on this until I have enough pieces to form a solid collection. I have a meeting with a gold/silversmith in a couple of weeks to start learning about the casting process. I'll definitely be sharing details about that on farcaster, so stay tuned!

now I'm headed to cannes for ethcc. looking very much forward to seeing some of you there. packed my most basic sculpting supplies and wax, so if I find any free time, that's where I'll be. <3